Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios said on Wednesday that forward Alex Formenton will not be returning to the organization.
Staios said he engaged in discussions with Formenton’s agent and that “both sides agree it would be best for everybody for a fresh start for Alex.”
Staios added the team is gauging the market to see if there is a trade for Formenton.
Staios says he will “gauge the market to see if there’s a trade.” #Sens
— Claire Hanna (@clahanna) September 17, 2025
Formenton signed a contract with HC Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland on Saturday to return to professional hockey. The Athletic reported the deal runs through December’s international break with an option to extend through the end of the season.
He is one of five players, along with Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote, that were charged with sexual assault following an incident in a London, Ont. hotel room in 2018 at a Hockey Canada event celebrating their World Junior title.
All five players were acquitted in July after a high-profile trial that lasted for months.
Initially deemed ineligible to play in the NHL following the trial, the league announced last week that the five players are eligible to sign with a team as soon as Oct. 15 but are suspended until Dec. 1.
Formenton, who was drafted in the second round by Ottawa in 2017, played three seasons with the team, scoring 18 goals with 32 points in 79 games in 2021-22. A restricted free agent following the season, he failed to sign a contract with the Senators before the Dec. 1 deadline in 2022.
He has not played in the NHL since.
The 26-year-old previously played for the club during the 2023-24 campaign.